Revenge and Love
by 2bethz2
Summary: Although somebody may have had an unfortunate past, that doesn't mean that their future must be the same. They just might have to do something about it. That's the case for me. My story starts in Tortuga. I need to join a crew to avenge my father's death.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pirates of the Caribbean. The owners do. I do however own Clara Adams and Joey Luckwall.**

**This is my first fan fiction and I really hope you enjoy it. Please review to let me know what you think. Constructive criticism is welcome if you think I need it. **

**This is only the prologue. The other chapters are much longer.**

**Enjoy!**

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><p><span>Prologue <span>

Although somebody may have had an unfortunate past, that doesn't mean that their future must be the same. They just might have to do something about it. That's the case for me. My past has defiantly not been in ideal one and I need to do something now so I that I don't regret not doing it when my life comes to end. My story starts in Tortuga. My long blonde hair in tight plaits and hidden in my hat to cover up the fact that I am a woman. I need to join a crew to avenge my father's death.


	2. Becoming Part of the Crew

Chapter 1 – Becoming Part of the Crew

Let me first explain what got me here in the first place. I never had a mother. She died while giving birth to me at sea. My Father, who loved her dearly, took on the responsibility of raising me alone. We had a good bond and we travelled around the sea together for 16 years. We both loved it at sea. It was the only place we felt that we could truly be ourselves. It was a good life. I enjoyed it very much and the bond between me and my Father was continually growing stronger. I was Happy

But one day came that took that all away from me. The skies were blue and it looked as if the day would be great. Until, a ship appeared in the distance. I recognised it immediately from the stories that my Father had told me when I was little. I knew that once it had set a course for you, you didn't have long left to live.

Unfortunately for us The Queen Anne's Revenge had set a course right for us. Terror spread across the ship. We all knew by now what was coming our way. My Father however managed to stay calm. "We aren't going down without a fight!" I remember him shouting as he handed out swords to the crew.

When The White Maiden, my Father's beautiful ship, was boarded we were all ready and prepared to fight to our deaths. Maybe it would give future victims a chance if we killed a few. Our cannons were no match for the Queen Anne's Revenge but we continued to fight.

I had learnt quite a few tricks with a sword that turned out to be rather useful. I took down quite a few men. But the only thing on my mind was my father. I could see him at the other end of the deck, sword in hand and in combat with Blackbeard himself. I knew he wouldn't stand much of a chance alone so I ran to help him, taking down several men who were in my way. But I wasn't fast enough. I was only a few metres away when I watched with my own eyes as Blackbeard ran his sword though my father's chest.

My life felt as though it had ended there and then. I fell to the floor next to my father unable to speak. I watched as Blackbeard walked away as if nothing had happened. He didn't even look at me. I still remember is hard face with no emotion showing what so ever. What must it be like to be so cold hearted?

My father grabbed my arm and pulled me closer. Blood was oozing from the stab wound. He looked at me and I could see pain in his eyes but also love and sadness. "My time is up, but you still have much to live for. I love you Clara Adams and could not be more proud to have you as my daughter" His grip on my arm loosened as his body went limp. I felt a huge wave of sadness pass through me. He was the only family I had left. I closed his eyes. At least he was a peace.

I looked around me. Most of the crew were dead or seriously injured. There was nothing more I could do. I gave my father one last look before diving overboard in case there was a slim chance that I would make it to land and be able to live another day.

Once I was sure I was a good distance away from the ship, I turned to give it I final look. But it was gone. It had literally vanished. There was no debris or anything floating in the water and the Queen Anne's Revenge had disappeared too.

Fortunately for me I wasn't too far off the coast of Spain so I was able to swim ashore. I was left with nothing but my mother's amulet and my memories with my Father. On the back of the amulet were the words "Thou Shalt Always Love" engraved onto the back.

XXX

That night I cried, and I did every night for the next 6 months. I had never felt so alone. Images of that day kept flashing back into my mind. I will never be able to forget my father's body lying motionless on the deck and the evil smile that Blackbeard's face carried as he left the sinking ship. It haunts me in so many of my dreams, even now, 10 years later. But one thing has changed. After my months of mourning my father a decided to dedicate my life to the art of sword fighting so that one day I will face Blackbeard and kill him just like he did to my father.

Now at age 26 I was ready. That's the reason I am in Tortuga, so that I can be a crew member of a ship. I don't care where the destination is, but even if there is a slim chance that I will run into Blackbeard at sea, I'm going to take it.

I also missed being at sea. It was where I grew up, it brings back all the good memories I had with my father.

The bar itself was reasonably quiet compared to its usual state. But the room connected was a different story. There were so many men I couldn't count. Down either side of the room were two lines leading to tables with sailors sitting at them. They were both hiring a crew. The man at the left was dressed reasonably smartly and had a glass of water that he kept taking little sips from between interviewing men. To the right there were two men sitting at the desk both with a bottle of some sort of alcohol each. One had greying hair and wore it in a short ponytail. The other, who was defiantly younger, wore a triangular hat and had his hair in many dreadlocks with beads threaded onto some of them along with a variety of other miscellaneous. He was no doubt the captain.

I stood there trying to decide which line to join but I overheard something that made up my mind instantly. "Jack, remind me where we are heddin' when we've got a crew?" I looked over in the direction of the two men. It was the older of the two that had spoken. Jack, I assumed his name was then responded.

"Mr Gibbs, it is not the destination which is important, but the journey. Now that I have the Black Pearl out of that bottle that Blackbeard enclosed it in I wish to be at sea and enjoy not being on land which I have been for far too long." It sounded as though Jack had been a survivor of one of Blackbeard's attacks. He seemed nice as well despite being rather drunk.

I waited no longer than about 10 minutes before I was standing in front of Jack and his, I guessed, first mate Gibbs. "So what makes you a worthy crew member" Jack spoke before even looking at me. I knew I would get asked something like this so I had an answer already planned.

"I grew up at sea and then when my Father's ship was sunk by a heartless soul, I dedicated my life to sword fighting. I am also strong and willing to follow orders" It was the complete truth. The only thing I missed out was my intentions and that I was in fact a woman rather than a man. If they knew who I truly was I wouldn't stand a chance of getting into the crew. It was considered bad luck to have a woman on board a ship. What nonsense. Jack's voice brought me back to my surroundings and away from my thoughts.

"Good man, your in. I'm Captain Jack Sparrow and you address me as Captain. This is my first mate Joshamee Gibbs and you can call him whatever you want" he waved to his left where Gibbs was sitting. "We set sail at dawn. Then you can prove that you are as good as you say." He smiled.

"Aye Captain" I replied and then walked away feeling rather proud of myself.

That night passed very quickly and before I knew it I was onboard the Black Pearl with the few possessions I owned. My mother's amulet and my guitar. Music relaxed me in a way that nothing but the ocean could. It was the only thing I had left that could bring even the tiniest shred of happiness. After leaving my guitar underneath my new hammock, I went straight out on deck to perform my daily duties. I wanted to make a good impression on Captain Jack right from the start.

I did everything that was expected of me to the greatest standard I possibly could which worked on impressing Jack. He was a good Captain and he seemed to like my enthusiasm. Just being at sea made me happier than I have ever been on land and I have been on land for far too long.

By the end of my first of many long days of work I was ready to go straight to sleep in my hammock. My muscles ached in a way that they never had before. I pulled of one of my boots and dropped it down by a barrel next to where I was sitting, then the other. After giving my feet a light rub I went to lie down when another member of the crew approached me. He had a friendly smile that was missing a few teeth and he wore a ragged bandanna with no hat. His shirt looked as though it was supposed to be white but was covered in dirt and it had some rips in the sleeves.

"Have ye served under Captn Jack's command before?" he asked. His voice was friendly.

"No, firs' time for me" I said in the most masculine voice I could manage. He didn't seem to notice my struggle.

"Mine too" His smile widened. "He aint a bad Captn thou is he, I didn't much like the last ship I was on" He reached down and grabbed my hand to pull me from the floor where I was sitting. "I don't know anyone in the crew an' I'm guessin' you don' either" I nodded in agreement. At least I wasn't the only one who knew nobody. "Well then, I'm Joey Luckwall. We can get to know the other people together. Whas your name?"

Oh dear, I had spent so much time planning this and I had gone and forgotten one of the most important things, a name. "Uh, my name is...um" I had to think of something quickly. I thought to myself. Or else he will think I've gone mad. "Sam" I blurted out "Yeh my name is Sam Adams" I tried to sound as though I hadn't just thought it up on the spot. At least the last name was correct.

"Are ye sure?" Joey didn't sound convinced "You don't seem it"

"Yes" I responded with a firm nod. It didn't take much to convince him.

"Alright Sam. Thas my hammock jus' there" He pointed over to one about 6 yards away. "No we both know someone so is not like we are lonely any more"

"Aye" I smiled before lying down to get some rest. There would be an early start to the morning.


	3. Mystery Room

**Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I've been very busy recently with exam stuff so I haven't had time. I will try to update sooner for the next chapter. I hope you enjoy this one though. Please review, every comment means a lot to me.**

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><p><span>Chapter 2 – The Rum Thief<span>

Days on the Black Pearl passed. I worked hard and sometimes talked with Joey as I did so. Each evening I played my guitar to the crew who seemed to very much enjoy it. I didn't sing though. That would have given my identity away in a heartbeat. I was struggling enough as it was to keep my voice sounding masculine. But playing the guitar did remind me of the nights I had played for the crew on the White Maiden with my Father. It was a good moral booster. My Father was a good musician as well as an amazing Captain and he taught me everything he knew. It's the best memory I have of him now.

I finished the last song of the night when Joey appeared beside me. "Ur very gud at that." he commented.

"Thanks, I've been playing a long time." I replied as I placed my guitar down gently underneath the hammock.

"Ye don' sing though." He sat in his hammock and started to swing it slightly. "Why don' ye sing."

"Well, that's something that I am not so good at. But you are welcome to. What songs do you like? Hows about Jolly Sailor Bold? That's my favourite." I smiled over in his direction, knowing for a fact that this would please him and I was right. He was quite a simple person.

I lay myself down on my hammock and rested my head against one of my arms when a saw Jack going into a room at the port end of the ship. I had always assumed that it was just a simple storage room but it that was the case, what would jack be doing in there. Actually, when I thought about it, the room was always locked so there must be something important in there.

"Joey, do you know what's inside that room over there?" I gestured to the door that jack had just gone through. I knew it was a long shot asking Joey but it was worth a try. He gave a small laugh.

"What, ye mean you don't?" He smiled in his usual way that showed all of the teeth that he had remaining (which wasn't very many).

"No, should I know?" This had my attention now and the curiosity inside me was bubbling.

"Well I've heard that whilst he waz in Tortuga he had a lode of other ships that he sold onto other sailors. Got him quite a lot of riches it did." Joey lifted up his left foot and pulled of his boot. The odour that drifted off hid foot was almost visible as a green mist because of how bad it smelt. I don't actually think Joey has ever had a wash.

"So he has that in there? The riches." I said as best as I could without suffocating from the awful smell that was Joey's foot. Joey nodded. I looked over his shoulder and saw that jack was re-emerging from the room with a crate full of something. He also looked quite a bit happier than he did before going in. He gently put the crate on the floor. It didn't look like it contained any riches to me. He then pulled a small rusty key from his pocket and locked the door. I looked over at Joey who was already asleep. Joey had to be wrong about the room's contents and I had to feed my curiosity and find out. Most of the crew were now sleeping so I got up from my hammock and walked towards jack who was struggling a little with the crate.

"Do you want some help with that captain?" I asked. "That looks rather heavy."

"That would be good" he said quickly handing the heavy load over to me. The look of relief crossed his face and I could see why. The crate weighed a tonne. It was defiantly heavier than he made it look. I pretended that it was no big deal and looked to Jack.

"Where abouts would you like it to go captain?" My arms were now aching now.

"In me cabin, Follow me" He turned and started up the wooden steps to the upper deck. I followed. As I walked I could hear that whatever was inside the crate was made of glass because it was hitting lightly together in time with my steps. By the time we reached the cabin door my arms felt as though they were being pulled out of their sockets and my back was beginning to really hurt but ignored the pain and smiled at Jack. I didn't want him thinking I was weak.

I expected Jack to take the crate of me now but instead he opened the door and ushered me inside. I entered the room and looked around. It was quite simple. To one side of the room was a large bed that I must admit looked very comfortable considering I hadn't slept in one since my time on the White Maiden. There was a desk in the other corner with a selection of different maps and a very interesting looking compass. There were a few chairs around the room, all of which looked much more comfortable than sitting on wooden planks and the floor. I guess I had expected something more luxury. But it still looked nice.

"Put the box on the floor somewhere over there" Jacks voice reminded me of the heavy weight that I was still holding. I did as he said quickly and tried my hardest to hide the relief I felt after letting go. He wondered over to the crate and opened it to reveal 12 bottles. He pulled two of them out and handed me one before biting the cork and spiting it out across the room. He took 3 big glugs and then looked and me and gestured to do the same. I repeated his actions. The sweet taste of rum filled my mouth. I hadn't had it for about 6 years and I had really missed it.

"Thanks" I said before taking another swig.

"You're a hard worker and great for the crew's moral." He sat behind his desk in the more comfortable looking of his chairs. "What's your name sailor?" Jack said before taking another mouthful of Rum.

"Sam Adams, Captain" I replied.

"Well Sam I have a good feeling about you, I feel as though I can trust you even though I don't know you too well." His words ran together slightly and it was only now that I noticed that this was normal for him. "Do you know what is in the room downstairs? The room I keep locked?"

"Well, Joey says it is filled with Riches. But I don't think it does, at least, not gold and silver anyway." I said the words slowly. Thinking it through as I said it. "Why would you want to tell me though? Nobody tells me anything." I stopped myself. He didn't need to know that I had been an outcast of society for the last 10 years. He was better off not knowing and so was I. I didn't need more attention on myself than I already had. Otherwise I might not be able to keep my identity a secret.

"I get a good feeling about you Sam, Plus, I need someone I can share it with, Gibbs isn't the best to talk to sometimes, especially when drunk." Jack drank what remained of the rum in his bottle and placed it on the table.

"Share what with me Captain?" I asked before placing my also empty bottle onto the table. Fortunately it took a lot of liquor to get me drunk so I could usually retain a clear head.

"The Rum." He smiled. I can tell you like the stuff. "That room is filled with perhaps 1000 bottles of the finest rum. Possibly more" I felt my eyes widen. "You cannot tell the crew about this though, I'm trusting you Sam. If they found out they would all want some." I nodded in understanding. "There is something different about you Sam. I can't quite work out what yet but I know there is something. Do you want to come to my cabin each evening for a drink and chat? It might be the case that we have something in common." He stood up.

"Aye captain" a feeling of warmth spread through me that I had never experienced before.

"Good, Come back tomorrow and make sure that no one finds out about what is in that room. I'm trusting you to report to me if you see anything" Jack walked over to the crate, using his arms to steady his balance against the rocking of the boat, and pulled out a second bottle filled with sweet rum.

"Aye captain, I will be here" I said before turning to leave.

"Sam" he called after me "in the absence of the crew you can call me Jack and you should know that that very few people are granted with that honour"

"Aye...Jack" I responded before leaving the room and freeing myself to the cool and damp night.

XXX

Morning came and I continued as always in doing my daily chores. Time passed quickly, as it always did at sea and before I knew it I was climbing the steps towards Jacks cabin. The air was cold and nippy but still warmer than it was last night and the sky was clear, showing a thousand glistening stars. I smiled at a memory of my father lying on deck with me when I was 5. We were just looking out to the stars. It was a simple memory, but a happy one.

Before I had the chance to knock Gibbs appeared behind me. "Ah you must be Sam, the captain said you would be joining us tonight. Can you pass on a message that I won't be attending, I have to deal with something" I nodded. He smiled and turned to go back the way he came leaving me alone once again in front of Jack's cabin. After knocking it only took a matter of seconds before I was sitting in the same chair as yesterday with another bottle of rum in my hand.

"Relax Sam" jack said. "Your efforts haven't gone unnoticed" he sat in his chair after taking some rum for himself and putting his feet up on the table.

"Thank you jack, but do you mind me asking what has made me stand out over the rest of the crew?" I fumbled around with the cork on my bottle which I still hadn't removed.

"Well" he tipped his bottle for a drink while considering his words, "You are very enthusiastic, and your music is great for keeping up the moral of the crew." I smiled at the compliment. "oh...and the rest of the crew just work so that they will be paid. They don't have any enjoyment for what they do, you on the other hand don't seem to care about your payment and care more about simply being at sea."

"Well, to me, the sea is a freedom you can never have on land. Plus, all of the good memories I have ever had are based at sea. I feel trapped on land." This was the truth but I didn't want to go into anymore detail. This would involve talking about my father which was something I really didn't feel up to. With the cork finally removed I took my first taste of the rum today. The sweet taste filled my mouth and for the rest of the evening me and jack s imply talked about the joys of being at sea.


	4. The Rum Thief

**Ok, here is my next update. There should be more frequent updates now because my inspiration is back. I've really tried to make Jack's speech more authentic in this chapter and would appreciate your view.**

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><p><span>Chapter 3 - The Rum Thief<span>

Almost one week had passed. I continued to work hard during the day and at night I enjoyed a drink with Jack. Sometimes Gibbs joined us too. These evenings were the most fun I had had in ten years. I was for the first time in ages, happy. But, it was a different kind of happiness which managed to make the pain of my father's death not so strong. I had never experienced a feeling like this before. It was foreign to me. But I liked it.

One night on my way to Jack's cabin the happiness was building inside me once more as it got ready for another good time. Unfortunately, it didn't last very long. I knocked on the door and entered when I heard jacks response. I looked around the room and saw that Jack was sitting in his chair without the usual look that he had on his face. He almost looked, sober. I even saw anger flash across his face.  
>"Mr Adams." he snapped. "sit." he was defiantly angry. But what had I done? I Obeyed orders and sat the chair opposite.<p>

"Have I done something wrong?" I asked. Jack acted as if I had said nothing and said "where is the key?"

"The key? What key?" Confusion spread through me.

"For the rum room. On this ship only two other people bar myself know where the location of the key is kept. Seeing as I am unable to steal from myself and Gibbs has no reason to, all fingers are pointing at you." the words that came out of his mouth were clearer, more pronounced. This probably meant that the key was stolen last night after jack was asleep. That would have given him the day to become sober and for a headache to form.

"You think I stole it?" I said slowly, letting the words sink in. He didn't listen to me again.

"Where is the key?" he stared at me. Anger and the need for a drink showing on his face.

"I don't know!" I exclaimed. In an attempt to get me voice heard. "I promise you captain, what reason do I have to take it?" I felt desperate now. This wasn't the first time I had been accused of something I was that innocent of doing.

"Very well, I will believe you for now. You are yet to do something to prove you untrustworthy." he paused "Guilty until proven innocent as they say."

"You mean innocent until proven guilty." I corrected and when Jack glared at me from across the table I hastily added "Captain."

"Yes...that." he rested his head on his right hand and began to stroke his moustache with his thumb. "I want you to report to me as soon as you hear anything, savvy?" I nodded in understanding and stood up to leave te room. As soon as the door to the cabin closed I breathed a long sigh of relief that he had decided to believe me. I hardly noticed the rain tipping down as I dragged myself to my hammock and pulled off my soggy boots. I lay soaking wet and soon managed to drift off to sleep.

XXXX

I kept my eye out for the key thief for days. I saw nothing. My daily routine continued as normal but I wasn't visiting jack's cabin every evening for rum. Mainly because we didn't have the key to access it but I knew it was because jack still thought it was me as well. This caused the hole in my chest to open up wider than it had in a while. The only sort of joy I received was in playing my guitar to the crew in the evenings. It took my mind off of things. I ached to see Jack again, I didn't know why. It was a feeling I had never felt before.

Joey's singing brought me away from my thoughts and to the current moment when I was playing Jolly sailor bold on the guitar as he had requested. I hadn't ever heard a voice quite as out of time as his but at least he was enjoying himself. By the end of the song he had most of the crew singing along. I laughed. It was a hollow laugh and not very real but I needed to look as though there was nothing wrong. I had always been good at pretending. I looked up from my guitar and gazed around the room at all the singing men. It may seem strange but it didn't bother me that I had no women for company. I had grown up on a ship full of men with not a woman in sight and the only women I had ever gotten to know turned out to be selfish and horrible. I preferred the company of men.

While looking around the crowded room of singing men I saw something that caught my eye. The rum room door was open a notch. Jack didn't have the key back yet, I knew because he would have told me of at Keats looked happier when on deck. This meant that the key thief, whoever they were, was most likely inside that room now. I could feel a tiny ball of hope burrowing into my chest. Looking down at my guitar, I finished the song.  
>"Great singing sailors." I tried not to sound too distracted. "But I'm afraid that's it for tonight." disappointment crossed the faces of many of the men. "Sorry" I added, as if it would make everything instantly better. I leaned down and put my guitar in its usual place under my hammock.<p>

"How comes it was do short tonight." heard Joey voice from behind.

"I'm sorry Joe, I'm just a bit distracted, and my playing isn't as good tonight. I couldn't look up into his face, his voice sounded disappointed enough. I didn't need his facial expression to add to my feeling of guilt. He may not be the smartest of men (or cleanest) but he was certainly the nicest.

"I fought it was good" he shuffled his feet.

"I will make it up to you tomorrow, how about I play a few extra songs." he smiled and nodded like a young child and wondered over to his hammock.  
>After the crew had gone to bed I waited no longer than about five minutes before I could hear snores echoing around the room. I stood up from my hammock and as wuittly as I could, began to creep past the sleeping crew. I almost tripped over a boot that was left lying on the floor. I could be quite clumsy sometimes, especially when tired. Fortunately nobody stirred as I stumbled. I continued to tiptoe past them until I reached the door. I could hear the uneven breaths of whoever was in there. I inched the door open just enough to see a dark figure in the corner. It was impossible to tell from here if they were male or female but my instinct was telling me male.<p>

I pushed the door open some more, still being as quiet as possible, and grabbed the first thing I could use as a weapon, an empty bottle that no doubt once contained rum. I then began to approach the figure in the corner. Their back was turned from me so as long as I was quiet they wouldn't notice my approach. The room itself was almost pitch black so I could hardly see a thing although I could faintly make out the shape of their head. Without thinking through all possible ways of action I lifted the bottle and brought it down as fast as I could upon his head with such force that the bottle smashed and caused him to loose consciousness. I crouched down to pick up the bottle he had web hiking to stop and more rum coming out when a thought hit me. I needed to get the key off this man and lock him in the room so that I could set things straight with Jack. I knelt down on the damp floor being careful not to kneel on any broken glass and began to search the man. Although I couldn't see him, I could smell that he hadn't washed in months, possibly years.

Eventually I found the key in his ragged jacket and rushed as quickly and quietly as I could to the door leaving the man unconscious in the corner. The key then was fitted into the lock and turned before I ran as fast as possible to Jacks cabin. I was nervous, but I knew that is would give Jack back his good spirits and earn me back the trust that I had lost. The sea was calm and the sky clear and I could feel a cold wind pass as I approached the door to the cabin and knocked. Gibbs answered the door and opened his mouth to speak but before he could get a single word out I said "I need to speak to the captain immediately." I tried to look over his shoulder to get a look inside the room to see jack.

"The captain aint in the mood to see anyone at the moment Mr. Adams as ur well aware." Gibbs's eyes held a disapproving stare.

"You don't understand, this is about the rum thief, I know who it is but I need to speak with jack." I could hear some level of desperation in my voice and I think Gibbs heard it to because he said

"Ok, if it is as important as ye say I think I can make an exception." I thanked him and hastily entered the room.  
>I looked around to see jack sitting at his table looking at a pile of charts.<p>

"I have the key and I know who stole it, it wasn't me." Jack looked up from what he was doing and then to Gibbs who was standing just behind me.

"Tell me what you know" any joy that was once in his voice was gone. I presented him with the key. He took it and examined it closely. "This is indeed the key, but, how do I know that you didn't steal it so that you could then give it back to me in order to gain a higher level of trust."

"uh, why would I..." he cut me off.

"If you had a higher level of trust than you already had then you would be able to do something much worse and possibly be let off with a slightly more minor punishment." he smiled at me and I couldn't help but feel that he knew more than he was letting on. "So, did you steal the key?"

"No," I said firmly, "and I can prove it." Jack smiled again.

"Alright, let's be seeing it then." I nodded and gestured for him and Gibbs to follow me to the rum room.

XXXX

The crew were still asleep when we got downstairs to the room. Jack opened the door with the key.  
>"Now Sam, what exactly is it that we are expecting to see?" he held the door about to open it but waiting for my response first.<p>

"Well, the thief is probably still unconscious in the corner where I left him but there are a lot of empty bottles scattered everywhere and run spilt on the floor. He has certainly drank a lot." Jack closed his eyes and have a faint nod. I could tell this was upsetting news for him. He held his breath and then slowly opened the door. Gibbs walked forward with a lantern to light the way. The floor was littered with broken glass and empty bottles. One of the larger Crates was broken as rum was dripping out into a large puddle on the floor.

"This is almost as bad as when Elizabeth burnt all of the rum on that island" jack muttered to Gibbs. I pointed to the corner where, as suspected, the man lay unconscious on the floor where I left him. We approached with quick steps and stood around him.

"Not exactly one for the good looks is he" Gibbs murmured.

"I think he is just dirty" I responded. "What do you want us to do with him captain?" Jack picked out a bottle from the nearest crate.

"Put him is the brig, we will question him tomorrow when he is awake, if he is awake." Jack took a long drink from the run bottle and instantly looked happier than he had before. He smiled and me and I couldn't help but smile back.


	5. Your Secret is Safe With Me

**Ok readers, I know I don't update very often and I'm sorry. I am still writing the story so for every chapter I finish writing I will put another chapter online.**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter even though it is slightly shorter than the others.**

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><p>After visiting the brig to drop off our unconscious thief, myself and Gibbs headed up to the captain's cabin. I could tell that Jack had already forgiven me and it felt like a huge weight had been lifted. Whilst he was angry at me I had felt so depressed and had hardly spoken to anybody except Joey and my guitar had been my only comfort. My feelings didn't make sense to me. I hadn't even known jack for longer than a month. But everything about him affected me in this weird way and I couldn't help but smile when I was around him.<br>Jack already looked like his usual self by the time I had reached his cabin and sat down in my usual seat across the table from him. Gibbs sat in the seat next to me. We all enjoyed a bottle (or two) of rum in celebration. Hours passed and during that time I told jack and Gibbs what had happened in the run room before I came to get them. Gibbs left at around midnight I guessed judging by the height of the moon and me and Jack listened to his uneven footsteps fade as he crossed the deck. There was no doubt in my mind that he was drunk. He hadn't drunk any more than me or jack but it took a lot to get me drunk.  
>"Sam." Jack broke the short silence that existed after Gibbs left. "I think I owe you an apol... an apol... Oh what's the word"<p>

"An apology," I suggested.

"That's the one, an apology." he shouted and smiled.

"Thank you captain but I understand, it was a logical explanation." I didn't want him to feel like he owed me for anything.

"Well, you have earned my trust and that is something I don't give out very often, Savvy" he smiled in a way that showed all of his golden teeth. I nodded.

"Aye. I'm going to go get some sleep now, most of the crew were asleep and hour or two ago." Jack nodded in understanding. "Goodnight Captain" I said as I left.

XXXX

I lay in my hammock staring up at the ceiling. Jack was talking to me again. I felt relived and once again kind of happy. At least I did until the morning. During the night I kept having flashbacks from the night that Blackbeard attacked. It caused me to wake frequently which unfortunately led to me brig quite tired in the morning.  
>On a regular morning I would be up at dawn to get on with my daily jobs such as pumping the lower bilges, repairing and retying ropes and removing folds from the sail cloth. On top of this I had to fix and clean my clothes which only some crew members could be bothered to do. It was hard work but I had lots of experience and rather enjoyed it. Today however was different. Instead of a regular day of work I was in Jack's cabin ready to question the thief down in the brig. We were just waiting for Gibbs who still hadn't arrived. I leant against the wall and pulled my hat partly down over my eyes to cover up quite how tired I felt. Jack wandered over from his table that was currently littered with maps and a half empty rum bottle, and lent against the wall beside me. "Gibbs is probably unconscious from all that rum he drank last night." I laughed although I think Jack was being serious.<p>

"Bit easy for him to get drunk isn't it, he only had one bottle." I pictured Gibbs in his hammock dead to the world. The thought amused me.

"Yes, doesn't take all that much to get him drunk. But you, you really can handle your drink." Jack turned his head to look at me, the beads in his hair rattled as he did so. "Especially for a woman." he added. I caught my breath as he pushed himself from the wall and moved to stand in front of me. Unable to breath properly and form words I opened and closed my mouth in an attempt to say something. Finally I managed to get out just five words.

"How long have you known." my voice was barely a whisper but It was my normal voice rather than a fake masculine one.

"Last night your voice faltered when you came to me with the key, that simply confirmed my suspicions but I have suspected it for a while." I let out a long slow breath before lifting my hat to look him in the eyes. There was no sign of anger or annoyance, and now that I came to think of it, his eyes were beautiful. A warm almond brown. I quickly averted my gaze.

"Are you annoyed with me for lying?" I questioned, trying to keep my voice steady. He shook his head.

"Not at all love." he then reached over and pulled off my hat allowing my long, wavy, blonde hair to fall over my shoulders.

"Really." I felt my eyes widen. "I assumed you would be." he gave me a questioning look and I elaborated. "Most men have superstitions about a woman being aboard a ship, about it being bad luck." Jack chuckled.

"Me, I'm not one for superstitions, prefer to take life as it comes rather than worry about bad luck." His smile turned to a frown. "Gibbs on the other hand is very superstitious and so it would probably be easier for you and for me if he doesn't find out. Savvy?" I nodded.

"So you won't tell anybody? I confirmed.

"Your secret is safe with me love."

"Thank you Jack." I breathed

"By the way, what is your real name?" he raised his left eyebrow.

"Clara Adams." I answered before taking my hat back from Jack and hoisting my hair back up inside it.

"That's a nice name" I was about to thank him again when Gibbs stumbled through the doorway into the room, holding his head with an agonised expression across his face.

"Sorry I'm late captain had maybe a tad too much to drink last night I think." Jack looked at his diary mate and sighed.

"Mr Gibbs, for someone who drinks as often as you, you can in no way handle your drink." Jack said in a joking manner.

"Aye captain, I have probably kept you long enough. Shall we go down?" Jack nodded.

"Lead the way." Gibbs turned to go and started rather clumsily for the door. Me and Jack followed him out.


	6. Stowaway

**Ok here's the next chapter and I am introducing a new character that I am quite proud of. I hope you like this chapter. **

**Thank you XXDavy4LydiaXX, Crystal991 and JulieIsAwsome66 for your reviews. It means a lot.**

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><p>The brig was colder than last night but it was lighter because Jack had lit the lamps as we entered. I looked to the cell that the thief was in and saw that he was out still out cold. There was now a small bump that had risen on his head from where I had hit him the night before. I hadn't had a very good look at him until now because it was so dark last night. He was probably in his late twenties and his hair was shoulder length, dark and matted. His clothing was made up of tattered tags that hung from his shoulders. How could anybody get themselves into such a state? I couldn't help but pity him. "Still unconscious," Gibbs remarked, "You must have hit him rather hard Sam." Jack looked at me with an expression that told me he was impressed. I opened my mouth to respond to Gibbs's statement when our prisoner opened his eyes gradually. He looked to us and then his gaze settled on the bars enclosing him into his cell. He went to stand up but his eyes riled back and he raised a hand to the lump on his head. I suddenly felt guilty for hitting him.<p>

"Ah, he is awake." Jack nudged Gibbs in the side to snap him out of his daydreaming. Obviously Gibbs was still very hung over. "What is your name?" Jack asked, saying the words slowly. The man looked up at Jack.

"Harry Beckett." My breath caught and my hand instinctively went to the brand on my wrist. I knew that name, how could I forget that name. "I take it by your expressions that you know my brother Cutler Beckett." I flinched at the memories that burned in my mind. I nodded, unable to look at Harry. Instead I looked over at Jack and Gibbs who both shared the same expression. Clearly they hadn't had a good past with him either.

"We knew him," Jack said bluntly. "He died several years ago." I couldn't help but feel glad that that world was now rid of that man.

"Well, don't worry; I can assure you that we are nothing alike." I found it interesting to see that Harry didn't look even remotely upset that his brother had died. I finally managed to look at Harry and could see very little resemblance of Cutler Beckett in his face. Jack was first to respond.

"If you really are a Beckett, what are you in this...mess?" He gestured to the clothes Harry was wearing.

"Like I just said, I'm nothing like him. I disagree with slavery, have no interest in greed and have no hatred for pirates like he did." He sighed. "When I was 14 he left me, marooned on an island for death because I refused to assist him with killing pirates. I had nothing, lived on the streets for years. Harry looked down at his hands and I'm sure j saw an escaping tear.

"I can imagine him doing something like that." my voice shook as I remembered my encounter with him when I was 18 and my left wrist started to burn in the location of my 'P' brand, marking me forever as a pirate.

"You understand that stealing rum is a serious offence on my ship." Jack took a few steps closer to the bars of Harry's cell. Harry nodded and tries once again to stand. This time he succeeded but not without wincing and clutching his head. I couldn't help but feel very sorry for him. He had after all had many years on the streets as I had and now was stuck locked in a tiny cell because of something out of his hands.

"If I may interject my view, I believe that Harry has a good excuse for what he did and don't think he should be punished to severely." I looked to Jack to see if he caught where I was going. He gave a small nod to show he had.

"So what be his punishment? He did steal rum after all." Gibbs commented. Jack thought about this for a second.

"I think that Harry here should join my crew. He could be useful after all." It felt good to know that Jack was on my side. Harry made a small smile.

"Thank you Captain, but I am afraid that it could be rather difficult for me to join your crew." his eyes looked so sad, I had to help him.

"And why is that?" Asked Jack, waving his hands in front of his face in an elaborate motion that I noticed he usually did while talking.

"I do not possess any of the required skills." said Harry. Jack stopped to consider this for a second a before he could go back on what his previous offer I jumped in.

"I could teach you, I have years of experience with the skills and on my father's ship I used to have to train a few of the more incompetent sailors." I quickly pushed the memories that were rising in my mind of my father aside and gave a small smile in a hope that I had said enough to persuade Jack.

"And what of your other duties?" Jack asked. "You already have additional work helping me to clean the mess he created." Jack gestures to Harry.

"Well," I took a step forward considering my words carefully to be sure I got the outcome I was after. "With Harry learning the skills some of the jobs will get done quicker." I looked pleadingly at Jack. There was a moment of silence as he made up his mind. For a second I assumed he was going to say no buy then he pulled a rusty key from a pocket and began to unlock the cell. As he did so he told us how this would work.

"Sam, you will continue your duties as usual and Harry will assist you, learning the skills as he does so. Savvy?" Me and Harry nodded in understanding and Gibbs who had been silent for most of this conversation opened the cell door to let Harry out. I gestured to Harry for him to follow me to the upper decks and watched as he staggered out of his cell and limped towards me. I made a mental note to examine his leg for injury later on. He said nothing as he walked. I heard Gibbs mutter something indecipherable to Jack but was unable to hear Jack's response.

"Thank you." Harry said with so much sincerity it made me pause.

"Don't worry about it." I continued to walk but slowed my pace so that Harry could keep up.

"No, really. It's the first time someone has been nice to me in 15 years." He sighed, "I'm surprised that you even have me a second thought."

"Well there are a lot of things people don't know about me." I snapped. My hand flew to my mouth. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean it that way." I quickly apologised. "Let's just say I haven't exactly had a good past either so don't worry about it ok." I smiled to him and opened the door and stepped out into the main deck. I felt the heat of the sun on my neck and could smell the salt in the sea. These things together instantly calmed my mood. I looked back to see Harry squinting at the light of the day. "Are you ok!" I asked. Harry nodded.

"Yes, I just haven't seen sunlight since the ship set sail a couple of weeks back so it seems a bit bright. I will get used to it." I smiled as the sympathy I already felt for him grew.

"Ok, first job for today is fixing and re-tying the ropes. It's quite simple so a good thing l start you on." I explained.

"Ok, show me what to do." he responded.

XXXX

Harry picked up on the skills I taught rather quickly and it didn't take long for a friendship to grow between us. My friendship with Jack also grew stronger especially during our time cleaning up the rum room. I couldn't help but feel there was something more to our friendship because when I wasn't around him, I sort of missed him. It was an odd feeling to me and for some reason I thought he felt it too, although I couldn't be sure.


	7. A Look Into The Past

**So now you are finally going to know about Cutler Beckett's past. I know this is a very short chapter but I think it is an important one and hopefully the next one won't be too far behind.**

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><p>Since my father was murdered I had not been able to feel happiness. But recently I had been feeling it more and more. I didn't feel empty anymore. For the first time in ten years I had people who I could call friends. I looked over at Harry who was sitting next to me helping to fix some old ropes. "Harry." He looked up from what he was doing.<p>

"Yes Sam," he said and then looked down at his rope quickly and back up at me. "Oh no, I've done it wrong haven't I?" I shook my head.

"No, no. You are doing brilliantly. I just wanted to ask...was your brother always so cruel?" That question had been on my mind for a while now and it had got to a point where I just needed to know. Harry sighed.

"Honesty, no. He used to be really kind and happy. I know you may not believe it, but it's true." His eyes we're distant as if remembering a time long ago.

"So what happened?" I adjusted my sitting position on the barrel I was on so that I was facing Harry.

"He was married." Harry explained. "To a beautiful woman whom he loved deeply."

"Really," I tried to picture Cutler Beckett in a relationship. "I didn't think he was a marrying sort."

"Well, he was with Eloise for two years. They were so happy." Harry sighed again.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Well they were crossing the Indian ocean and their ship was boarded by pirates and she was murdered." Harry finished on the rope he was fixing and passed it to me to check he had done it right. I put down my rope and examined his.

"So that explains why he hates pirates. I passed back the rope. "This rope is good, well done." he nodded a thank you and picked up the next one.

"Yes it destroyed him and he swore to kill or brand every pirate he met. He wanted me to join him but I was quite young and defiantly didn't want to kill of mame anybody." Harry looked sad.

"I think you did the right thing." I felt a sudden and unexpected wave of empathy for Cutler Beckett. I never imagined this thought would even cross my mind but I actually understood how he must have been feeling. After all, he had lost a loved one at the expense of a pirate just as I had. The difference is that he went too far. I only want to avenge Blackbeard and prevent him from killing any other innocent people.

"I know I did but he never forgave me for disagreeing with him and you know the rest. Years spent not the streets, unable to get a job and the need to steal food in order to survive." I saw a tear escape Harry's eye again. It struck me just how often that happened and it made me feel more sympathy for him, I knew what it was like. "I don't suppose you would understand what it feels like to be homeless."

"Actually, I do understand." my voice faltered slightly as I remembered the long cold nights in the rain and the days of starvation. Harry's face showed a new expression.

"You lived like that?" I nodded.

"For ten years" Harry's eyes widened and I put down my rope. I could tell this was my time to tell someone. "When I was born, my mother died." I paused to inhale a deep breath. "My father took care of me by himself at sea."

"Wow, that's good isn't it." Harry commented. I nodded as several tears ran down my cheeks.

"We had a great relationship, me and him; I thought I was the happiest person in the world. Free to roam the seas as we wanted." I looked down at my fingers that wouldn't stay still and interlocked them.

"So what happened?" Harry's voice was steady and inviting. I knew I could trust him. I wiped one of my eyes on my sleeve.

"When I was 16 our ship was attacked by the Queen Anne's Revenge." I paused to see if Harry recognised the name but he didn't seem to so I elaborated.

"Blackbeard's ship. He sunk the ship and murdered my father. I was lucky to escape. I think I was the only survivor. Like you, I had nothing and no one. But on the night of the attack I swore to myself that I would find Blackbeard and kill him, not only to avenge my father's death but to protect other people from suffering the same fate. So I taught myself to handle a sword. I hate him so much for ruining my happiness. Is that wrong?" Tears began to stream down my face but I felt better now that someone finally knew. "All I have left of my mother's is the amulet I was given at birth." I pulled it out from under my clothing to show Harry. "And all I have left of my father is memories and the music we wrote together that I play on my guitar sometimes." I wiped my eyes again and looked at Harry.

"It seems we have had very similar experiences then." He muttered. I nodded. "Is there anything else you want to tell me?" I thought about the question for a second before nodding. I then looked around me to see if there was anybody else around and when I saw there was nobody I raised my hand slowly and pulled off my hat. My hair fell down over my shoulders once again and Harry gasped. I shook my head slightly to sort my hair and put it back up safely inside the hat. Concealing my identity once more.

"Harry say something please." It took a few seconds but soon he managed to come out with one tiny word.

"Oh." I have him a look signifying for him to elaborate on that one word. "That was unexpected." I sighed. "I mean, I understand why you had to do this. There is no way you would have been accepted into the crew if Jack had known."

"Oh thank you so much for understanding." I breathed. "By the way my real name is Clara Adams." Harry smiled.

"Well Clara, I am glad that our paths have crossed. I have never had a friend I can rely on in the way I can on you, not even before my problems with Cutler." I smiled back.

"I'm glad that me being female doesn't affect how you think of me like it would for a lot of men." I picked up my rope again and finished the last bit of work on it. "It's time for dinner. I wonder what the chef has cooked up for us all." I stated. Harry laughed and we wandered of towards the mess hall. I could feel a huge weight off my shoulders and I had Harry to thank for it.


	8. Truth Revieled

**Well, I have some good news. I have finished writing this fanfiction now, just have to type it up so I will try to update every week. I hope you like the chapter. I personally think it is one of the better ones. Enjoy!**

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><p>Since being a member of the Black Pearl's crew the dreadful dreams I used to have every night had not come. For three months I had been free of sleepless nights and waking torment. Until tonight. It hadn't taken me long to get to sleep where my mind was taken to a brutal scene of fighting men. I recognised it well. I watched as men died and their life forces rose above their bodies leaving a look of pain and sadness on the faces they had left behind. Only now did I realise that I was one of them, a spectator of battle, with no physical form. I could do nothing to help, only watch them die. My gaze drifted across the deck of the ship to the helm where my father lay. I drifted over to him and I am sure that if I could cry in this body of no mass, I would. He lay, trying his hardest to hold onto life but to no avail. His life force lifted from his body but instead of leaving instantly like the others had it traveled towards me and his voice echoed through my mind. "You have strayed from the path of revenge Clara. Don't you forget what Blackbeard did to us."<p>

"I don't want revenge anymore; I have searched for ten years and found nothing. I want to just get on with my life and enjoy it." I barely managed to whisper.  
>"If you don't kill Blackbeard he will only destroy more lives." I went to say something in response but he was gone. The world around me faded to black. The last thing I remember before waking was Blackbeard's laugh echoing through my mind over and over again.<br>I had only been asleep for a few hours. I lay in my hammock breathing heavily and for the remainder of the night I was unable to sleep. I kept thinking about my father's words. Now I knew what revenge had done to Cutler Beckett. I didn't want to become that person.

By the time morning arrived was more exhausted than ever and when I was tired, I was clumsy. I fell over the top step on the way out of the mess hall after breakfast, I accidentally prodded my finger with a pin while fixing my clothes, I bumped into Harry at least three times and almost overboard when the ship hit a large wave. I had practically lost control of my body. Even Jack noticed and I think he liked not having to be the only one who had to keep steadying his balance.

It was late afternoon and I had just finished teaching Harry some basic knots. I was on my way to see Jack at the helm to inform him of Harry's progress. I was in a good mood despite being tired, the wind was blowing and I could smell the food being prepared for the evening. I waved at Joey as I passed him scrubbing the deck, he waved back and I smiled. But I wasn't looking where I was going and tripped over a rope that was lying across the deck. Everything went in slow motion then. I flew forward and landed on the floor in front of Gibbs. As I fell the wind lifted my hat up into the air, releasing my hair which fell over my face. There was no way to cover this up now. The truth was out. Gibbs gasped, the crew crowded around me and I saw Harry emerge from one of the lower decks. As soon as he saw me lying on the floor with my hat next to me and my hair all over my face a look of sympathy crossed his face. Gibbs was the first to say something. "You're a lass." he was really stating the obvious but at least somebody said something. I nodded anyway. I then pushed myself up into a sitting position and began to untangle my legs from the rope.

"I'm sorry but I had to lie. I wouldn't have got into the crew otherwise." I bowed my head.

"Let me through." I heard from the back of the crowd of people. It was Jack. "What's going on?" He reached Gibbs and looked down at me on the floor. I saw understanding shine in his eyes and I looked pleadingly at him. "Ah." he nodded. His expression then turned to anger. "Mr Adams, with me to my cabin." He commanded. "Or Mrs Adams," he corrected himself. I obeyed orders and followed him to his cabin with Gibbs not far behind us. "As you were gents." Jack said to the crew. He winked subtly to me as he turned to start walking. I breathed a small sigh of relief. As soon as we were inside the cabin and out of earshot of the crew. he looked at me and said, "well it is about time, I wondered how long you could keep the act up for." he then smiled.

"Wait a minute captain, you knew?" Gibbs asked. Jack nodded.

"Of course I did, worked it out days ago. Her name is Clara."

"And you didn't think to tell me?" Gibbs looked quite annoyed.

"Well, I knew you would tell me that it is bad luck to have a woman on board."

"It is bad luck. Don't you remember Elizabeth? She had you sent to Davy Jones Locker." Gibbs stated.

"Aye, she did. But she also assisted in rescuing me and played a huge part in sinking Cutler Beckett's ship." Jack countered.

"And what about Angelica, she was bad news from the start." Gibbs shook his head in disbelief.

"But she helped me find the fountain of youth. Not that I needed any help." Jack responded quickly.

"Well what good can it do, having a woman on board?" Gibbs really was superstitious.

"What bad can it do." said Jack, clearly unable to think of a better comeback. "Clara has been working on the Pearl for months now and what bad has happened?" Gibbs opened his mouth to respond. "That was a rhetorical question Mr Gibbs. I'm captain. I say she stays." jack put his hands on hip hips and nodded in triumph. Something inside me did a small cartwheel. I smiled. Gibbs groaned and left the room.

"Thanks Jack" I breathed.

"That's alright." he responded, "I'm not ready for you to go yet." I smiled and adjusted my hat and hair.

"I guess I should get back to my duties." I sighed.

"Wait." Jack said abruptly ad my hand touched the door handle. I turned slowly to face him and I sensed that I was glad that I didn't have to leave yet.

"Is everything ok?" I questioned.

"Yes," Jack took several steps towards me and stumbled slightly as I noticed he did rather a lot. "I just think that now the crew all know that you are a lass," he waved his hands at me in an elaborate way. "They may try to take advantage of you."

"Thank you for your concern." I interrupted. "But I am perfectly capable of looking after myself." I said with a sharp voice. It really got on my nerves when men saw women as weak or not as able as them. I turned to leave again but Jack was quicker than me and grabbed my wrist. The rings on his fingers were cold against my skin. His touch was gentle but firm.

"I'm sure you can... I just thought that maybe you would be more comfortable with a different place to sleep, without the crew there." I considered this for a moment. It would be nice to have a more private location to sleep.

"Where abouts do you suggest?" I asked cryptically. Jack simply smiled and lifted up a trapdoor in the corner of his cabin. I looked inside and then jumped down to see what it was like. It was maybe 10 feet in both width and length so it was defiantly large enough for me, my hammock and my guitar. Jack grabbed a lantern and reached out to hang it on the wall. He smiled at me.

"Is this to your satisfaction?" He asked and raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, defiantly." I paused and looked around once more before climbing out. "Thank you." Jack nodded.

"You don't have to knock by the way to get in here. Just walk straight through." he explained. The look in his eyes told me that he was glad that my identity was no longer a secret though I couldn't understand why.

"I'll go and get my hammock and guitar then." I braced myself for the stares from the crew I was almost certainly going to get and waked oh of the room. I was correct. As I walked along the deck every crew member's eyes turned to look at me at some point. I was glad to be walking down the stairs towards the hammocks where there was nobody to stare. Looking around the room I saw Harry sitting on his hammock just across from mine, he looked up as I approached.

"So... Do you have to leave?" his eyes were wet, he looked as though he had been crying. I shook my head.

"No, thankfully Jack had already worked it out and thought I was too valuable a crew member to loose." I began to untie my hammock from the wall. "I do have to move to a different room to sleep though, because of the gender difference between me and the rest of the crew, Jack is worried that I will be taken advantage of." I laughed. Harry nodded and came to help me roll up my hammock.

"Where are you moving too." He picked up my guitar and handed it to me.

"A room under his cabin looks ok to me." I began to walk up the stairs with my few belongings. Harry followed. "Thank you for being such a good friend to me, I spent so much time alone I had almost forgotten what it is like to not be lonely." I smiled.

"I know the feeling. Thank you as well, if it weren't for you I probably wouldn't be here right now." He gave a quick smile and left. Leaving me alone with my thoughts.


	9. So This Is What Love Feels Like

**Here you go guys, chapter 8. Finally love is in the air between Clara and Jack. Enjoy!**

Being in that room on my own that evening gave me a chance to think and arrange all of my emotions into some kind of order. I started with the feelings of guilt I was getting from my from my conscience about not looking for Blackbeard but soon came to the conclusion that I had not strayed from the path I had set for myself. I was simply happier. I then ran through how I was going to manage working on the Pearl with the crew staring at me. I soon decided that I didn't care. They could look at me all they wanted it mattered not to me what they thought. I had Harry as a friend and possibly still Joey. That wouldn't be a problem. Finally, I had to work out what was going in with Jack. I ran the symptoms he gave me through my mind. 1) He made me laugh a lot. 2) I was happier when around him. 3) When I was around him the hollow feeling I had felt since my father died wasn't as bad. And 4) I missed him when he wasn't with me.

I knew what I was feeling now. But I was scared to admit it to myself. I had never imagined that I would feel this. There was no doubt in my mind what the feeling I felt was love. "I love Jack Sparrow." I said quietly to myself, testing the words. I could tell in my heart that it was true. I smiled to myself. Glad that I had worked out what I had been feeling all these weeks. But my smile soon faded, I knew Jack well enough by now to understand that he wasn't really a person for love. It probably made him uncomfortable. I made the decision to not tell him. I didn't want to destroy the friendship we already had. Now after calming the sea of emotions that were swimming through my mind I allowed myself to drift off into a dreamless sleep.

I woke to the sound of footsteps from above. My guess was that it was Jack. I lay listening to his steps and couldn't hold back a laugh when I heard him stumble. It sounded as though he was pacing. I could also hear him muttering to himself. I sat up in my hammock and slipped on my boots. I then pulled my hair back and tied it with a piece of string I had found. After placing my hat on my head I went to leave the room. Inching the trapdoor open I saw that Jack was indeed pacing an was looking at what I thought was a compass as he did so. "Morning Jack." I said as I climbed the ladder into his cabin. Jack jumped and almost dropped the compass.

"Clara, you startled me." he exclaimed.  
>I laughed. "Yes apparently I did," I smiled."<p>

"By the way, north is that way." I pointed towards part side. Jack looked confused for a second and then looked down at the compass.

"Oh, I know where north is love." he closed the compass and took three large steps towards me. "But I'm not looking for north." he flashed me a golden smile which made my insides churn. I suppressed acting upon the feelings of love inside and looked at Jack.

"So what are you looking for?" I questioned, putting a hand on my hip.

"I don't know, he said slowly and took another step towards closer."Could you hold this for me? I am curious about something." he handed me the compass and ran to stand behind me.

"Uh ok, what do you want me to do?" I looked over my shoulder to Jack. He was acting quite strangely (stranger than usual anyway).

"Just open it." I did as he said and watched the arrow spin quickly to point at me.

"This doesn't point north." I stated. "Is it broken?" Jack peered over my shoulder and looked at the compass.

"No, not broken. Just different." he walked around to stand in front of me, the arrow followed. "That's very interesting." he said not taking his eye off the compass. I tried to hand it back to him and he took it reluctantly. We both watched as the arrow turned and pointed at me.

"What does it point to?" I asked and the curiosity levels inside me rose.

"It points to whatever the person holding it wants the most." he stated. I looked down at the compass in Jack's hand. He closed the lid quickly.

"So I am what you want most?" I breathed. He nodded.

"That's right love, and apparently you want me most." I blushed slightly and nodded. I couldn't quite believe what had just happened, he actually loved me back.

"But you told me a while ago that your first and only love was the sea." I quizzed him. I had to be sure that he felt something and that I wasn't simply falling into a trap to be bedded and left.

"It was when I thought you were a lad, when I thought you were Sam." he crept a hand up my arm and moved closer. Our faces were inches apart.

"I never saw you as a man who would fall for a woman." I whispered.

"Well a man can change can't he?" Jack whispered back and pressed his lips suddenly to mine. I inhaled sharply and he pulled away. I looked into his gorgeous almond eyes and found his lips on mine again. I allowed my eyes to close and kissed back with the same level of passion. His hands travelled down my sides and rested on my hips. He pulled me closer and our lips parted. The sweet taste of rum entered my mouth along with his tongue. Our rounded played together for a while and then he pulled back again leaving me with a hunger for more. "Your good at that." he commented and pulled me closer into a hug. I felt on top of the world, like I could achieve anything. I giggled but the wonderful moment was broken as Gibbs barged in. So much do knocking.

"Captain, Miss Adams has not arrived for her shift." he said before looking up and noticing Jack's arm wrapped around my shoulder. "Oh, I'm sorry captain, did I disturb something."

"No, nothing at all." I stated sounding more annoyed than intended. "I'm just going now." I gently removed Jack's arm from my shoulders. Gave his hand a light squeeze and made my way purposefully towards the door. Not that I had been accepted into the crew with everybody knowing my true identity I wasn't afraid to be a tad sarcastic sometimes. I smile to Jack as I left the room, I didn't look to see if he smiled back. I could feel already that this was going to be a long day.

As soon as the door was closed I heard Gibbs say to Jack, "What is going on captain?" I couldn't resist the temptation and pressed my ear against the door to hear the full conversation.

"Isn't it obvious?" I heard Jack respond, avoiding answering the question as he often did.

"You and Clara?" Gibbs paused. "Do you really think this is a good idea."

"For your information Mr Gibbs I am experiencing..."

"What are you doing?" Harry's voice came from behind. I had to slap my hand over my mouth to prevent from screaming. Harry laughed silently and dragged me down the steps towards the main deck. I didn't resist.

"I was just listening to what they were saying about me" I confessed.

"Aren't those conversations supposed to be private?" he laughed.

"I know, but you won't understand unless you know the full story." I stopped for a moment to remember my first job today.

"Are you going to tell me the full story?" Harry raised an eyebrow in questioning.

"Yes, but not here." I grabbed his arm and dragged him to a more secluded area of the ship and I told him. About the kiss, everything. There is nothing I wouldn't tell Harry. He even knew about my past with Blackbeard which Jack didn't. He was a great friend.

"So you love the captain?" he said as I concluded.

"And he loves me too. I must say that I never thought something like this would happen to me." my voice shook with excitement.

"I'm happy for you. You of all people deserve happiness." I smiled at the sincerity in his words.

"Thank you," I put a hand on his shoulder. "You deserve happiness too." he smiled. "we better go and start work now, I'm already about an hour late for my shift." Harry nodded and we joined the rest of the crew.

XXX

The day went by in a blur and before I knew it, it was the end of my shift and I was back in Jack's arms where I wanted to be most of all. "Is Master Gibbs joining us for a drink this evening?" I asked in a rather formal manor, which I literally never it. It took me by surprise. Jack too by the looks of the expression on his face.

"Not tonight, I put him on watch duty for the next six hours." Jack said with a smile and he weapons his hand around mine. I reshuffled my position on his very comfortable bed so that I was sitting next to him rather than in front of him. Jack's thumb stroked the back of my hand and a comforting chill travelled up my arm. He smiled at me but then looked down and his smile turned to a frown. I followed his eye line and saw that he was staring at the bottom part of the 'P' brand on my on my arm. He let go of my hand gently and gently pushed up my sleeve. "How did you get that?" He asked tracing it with his thumb. I felt nothing; the whole area was numb from the scaring.

"I was caught stealing food from an East India Trading Company ship when I was seventeen. To cut a long story short, I was taken to Cutler Beckett and I left with this." I intentionally missed out the reason why I had to steal food but I knew I would have to tell him someday. Jack nodded.

"They are painfully aren't they?" He commented. I thought back to when it happened, the searing pain of the heat was something that I would never forget. I clutched my arm over the brand and nodded.

"But how would you know?" I asked and to answer Jack lifted his sleeve to reveal an identical mark on his arm. "And how did you get it?" my voice was strained as I imagined the pain that Jack too had endured.

"Believe it or not, I used to work for the East India Trading Company. It was a great job until Cutler Beckett decided he wanted me to sail slaves across the seas. I refused." Jack leaned his head against the wall and looked towards the ceiling. "Slaver goes against my ideas of freedom. But because of this he branded me and burned down my ship." I could see the hurt from the past in his eyes; I knew the feeling so I leant over and kissed him lightly.

"Is that your only experience with him?" Jack shook his head.

"No, several years ago he tried to destroy the Brethren Court and take over the seas. So me and a few other sank his ship so he couldn't ruin any more lives." he smiled at this memory.

I laughed, "So, you are a hero."

"I like the sound of that." he smiled in a way that made him look very intoxicating.

"Then maybe I should say it more often." I whispered as I inched closer.

"That would be great love." he said before closing the distance between us. I closed my eyes and drew in a deep breath. Jack's hands moved to sit on my cheeks and I pushed myself closer. He didn't resist. We kissed for a while before it dawned on me that I had to be up early for work so I reluctantly pulled away from the heavenly kiss.

"I have to go." I moaned. "I have an early start in the morning." Jack shared my disappointment but didn't resist as I pulled away.

"Goodnight." he murmured and I got up and left the room.


	10. The Queen Anne's Revenge

**I know it has taken a while but here is the next chapter. As usual, i hope you enjoy. Please review to tell me what you think. I love feedback! :) x**

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><p>I love Jack Sparrow. Every day I work the hardest the hardest I can do that the time passes and I can be with Jack again. My shifts were shorter now that I wasn't teaching Harry new skills. He had become very good do I had his company all throughout the day which made each moment I spent without Jack a bit more tolerable. By now the relationship between me and Jack was no secret. The whole crew knew. This was a good thing because they didn't stare at me so much. Joey didn't talk to me anymore. I think he was angry at me for lying. But what choice did I have. I watched as Jack handed the wheel to another crew member for the night shift and wondered into his cabin. Unfortunately I wasn't going to be joining him because Gibbs had assigned me and Harry with watch duty tonight. I sighed and climbed up to the crow's nest where Harry was already waiting for me. "I've never done watch duty before but my guess is that it is extremely boring and uneventful." he mused.<p>

"Yes, and lonely for most as well. Normally people do it alone. It was good of Gibbs to assign us at the same time." I added and lent up against the mast and rubbed my eyes. I was already tired and we were here until morning.

XXX

Judging by the height of the moon we were about four hours into put shift and so far we have seen nothing. Harry was looking through the telescope. "What's that?" he asked pointing at the horizon. I took the telescope from him and looked in the direction he was pointing.

"Just a ship." I answered.

"Do we have to do anything?" he asked, "Alert anyone?" I shook my head.

"No, it's miles away and probably isn't even travelling in the same direction as us." I handed the telescope back to Harry who looked out towards the ship again. "We should probably keep an eye in it though."

XXX

Two hours later it had become evident to use that the ship was indeed coming in our direction. It was still very far away though so we continued to watch it but did nothing else.

XXX

After another hour Harry lowered the telescope and said, "Ok, I really think we should do something about it now." I nodded slightly and looked through the telescope at the boat once more. As soon as it was in focus I felt my whole body tense up. I could see now the familiar sails and bowsprit. It was the ship that had been haunting my dreams for the last ten years. The Queen Anne's Revenge. "Is everything ok?" Harry's voice broke me from my trance. With a shaky hand I gave the telescope back to Harry and shook my head slightly.

"Stay here... Watch the ship... I am going to alert Jack." I only just managed to get out. I began to climb down from the crowd nest.

"Clara, what is going on?" Harry's voice held an urgent tone and I felt that he deserved an explanation, even if it was only a quick one.

"That ship," I pointed, "is the Queen Anne's Revenge." My voice shook. Harry's eyes widened in realisation if what this meant. "Stay here." I ordered. He nodded and went back to looking at the revenge through the telescope. I moved as fast as I possibly could to Jack's cabin, knocked twice and barged in.

"Clara! What's wrong? Is everything ok?" He climbed out of bed and came quickly towards me, only just catching me as my knees buckled from underneath me.

"The Queen Anne's Revenge is coming, Blackbeard is coming." I sobbed into his chest. All of my strength had gone. All that was left was fear, not anger, (which I had always expected it would be), but fear. But Jack seemed calm.

"Love," he said in a soothing tone. "Blackbeard is dead, why are you do scared? You act like you have met him before." He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer.

"Do you remember me telling you when I first joined your crew that my father's ship was sunk by a heartless soul?" I asked jack and he nodded and then understanding crossed his face.

"It was Blackbeard wasn't it?" He sighed and I nodded.

"I watched as he murdered my father and our crew, as far as I am aware, I'm the only one who survived." I explained.

"Oh." He pulled back and put his index finger on my chin, lifting my head so that he could look me in the eyes. With his other hand he gently wiped a tear from my face. "Well he is dead now. I killed him."

"You really are a hero." I whispered and kissed him lightly. "So do you know who the captain is now?" Jack nodded.

"Hector Barbossa." He paused. "You say that the ship is outside right now?"

"Yes."

"This should be interesting." He began to pull me towards the door. All of the fear that was once inside me had gone and all that was left was pure curiosity. When we reached the main deck I could see that the Queen Anne's Revenge was no sailing alongside the pearl.

"Should I raise the alarm Captain?" Harry's voice came from above.

"No need, nobody is in danger, but keep watch." Jack called back.

"Aye Captain." Harry responded. I looked yob the helm of the revenge and saw a man who was wearing a large over the top black hat with a feather sticking out of it. He had a short and ridiculous looking ginger beard and a peg leg. He must be Barbossa. Some of his crew places a large plank between the two ships which he limped across towards us.

"Ahhh, Hector." Jack exclaimed. "It's been a while."

"Aye near two years I believe." Barbossa flashed a smile I rotten teeth. "Ye managed to get the Pearl back I see. I'd be interested to know how."

"Well, I will tell you." Jack responded. "But not here, in my cabin perhaps." Barbossa nodded. "This way." Jack signalled.

"I know where the cabin is Jack. If ye remember, I captioned this ship for much longer than you." Barbossa sneered and stepped around us. Jack pulled a mocking face behind Barbossa's back as we walked.

"Well, he is... Nice." I mused quietly. "And you too are old friends?" somehow I couldn't believe it.

"I don't believe I ever said friends. More acquaintances. He was my first mate when I set sail on the Pearl's maiden voyage, he led a mutiny on me and left m marooned on an island. Twice." Jack explained. I simply nodded; I didn't really know what to say to that. But Jack was right. This was going to be interesting.

I took my usual seat next to Jack as his desk and watched as Barbossa grabbed an apple from a bowl and put his feet (or rather, foot and peg leg) on the table. "So," he began, "How did ye come to meet this lass?"

"I though you wanted to talk about the Pearl." Jack quickly replied. I looked rather embarrassed. I knew he didn't like talking about his feelings. It made him uncomfortable.

"Aye, I did. But since then it has become evident that you are in a relationship with this lass. This is much more interesting." he flashed an unattractive smile. It was clear he was trying to make Jack uncomfortable so I answered for him.

"I joined Jack's crew about six months ago. That is all there is to know." I said.

"And are ye in love with her Jack? Jack looked down at his hands and began twisting his fingers together. He was hating this. I reached a hand out and rested it on his hands to relax him. I already knew the answer to that question even though Jack had never actually said it out loud. His compass said it all.

"Why does it matter to you?" I asked.

"Are you going to let her do all the talking?" Barbossa continued.

"I have a name you know. I not an object to be messed around with." I snapped. "It is Clara Adams. If you aren't too shallow to care." Barbossa glared at me and changed the subject.

"So, the Pearl. How did ye get her back?" jackal looked at me gratefully and answered the question.

"Well, after leaving The Fountain of Youth I met Gibbs on an island. He had acquired the Pearl and a whole fleet of other ships." Jack explained.

"Wait, did you say bottled ships?" I asked.

"Aye, after attacking a ship, Blackbeard used to shrink them and trap them in a bottle as a kind of trophy." Said Jack. That explained why the White Maiden disappeared under mysterious circumstances.

"So how did he get it out if the bottle?" Barbossa pushed on.

"The truth... I fell over." Jack said in an odd voice. I laughed. That was so like Jack.

"Ye fell over." Barbossa repeated in disbelief.

"Aye, the bottle smashed and the Pearl was free. Fortunately this happened while the beach was at a low tide do we just had to wait for the sea to come in before we could leave." Jack smiled and nodded victoriously.

"And what of the other ships?" Barbossa asked, taking a huge bite out of his apple.

"Sold them." Jack said simply. "Along with your monkey." I fought to hold back a laugh inside me. I knew it wouldn't help the situation. Barbossa's face went from relaxed to angry in a fraction of a second.

"Ye sol my monkey?" He yelled. Jack nodded an smiled once again. I rolled my eyes.

"Aye, I always hated that monkey." Barbossa rose from his seat. Anger flickering in his eyes and his hand resting on a sword that I recognised all to well. I could see that if I didn't do anything, the situation was going to rise out of hand.

"So..." I said in a calm voice that got Barbossa's attention on me and off of Jack. "How did you come into possetion of the Queen Anne's Revenge?" Barbossa smiled and sat down.

"Well, after killing Blackbeard I claimed his ship and crew amount with this sword." he looked smug.

"Wait, you killed Blackbeard? But Jack told me he did." I looked from Barbossa to Jack and awaited an explanation.

"Ahhh, well, there must be a slight... Misunderstanding." He said slowly.

"Oh really, do tell." I commented.

"I stabbed Blackbeard with me own poison blade, there is no way he could survive that." Barbossa snapped.

"True but I tricked him into drinking the water from the fountain of youth without the mermaid tear so that his daughter, Angelica, would not suffer the same fate." Jack countered.

"Then ye simply finished him off, he would have died anyway, with or without your interference." Barbossa retorted. I put my head in my hands. I had stopped one argument and within seconds another had broken loose. I was going to have to sort this one out as well. Both of them were driving me crazy.

"Hey!" I yelled. They both stopped and looked at me. "Dies it really matter?" I looked between them. "So Blackbeard is dead, does it really matter who killed him?"

In unison they both said, "yes," and went back to arguing. I rolled my eyes and pointed at Barbossa.

"You should go." I stated. He opened his mouth to protest but I stopped him. "Go!" I ordered and very much to my surprise, he got up and left the room.

"Well that was well handled love." Jack commented and lent in to kiss me but I pulled back. "Something wrong?" He asked. I really did live him but sometimes he could be so stupid.

"I'm just tired." I lied. "I'm going to bed." I knew my annoyance would have passed by morning so instead of saying anything else I waved a goodnight (or rather, good morning) and slipped down the trapdoor to my room where I could finally get some much needed sleep.


	11. Angelica

**Here you go! Another chapter and if I am feeling nice I will put the next (and final) chapter on tomorrow! **

**As always, I hope you enjoy and please review to tell me your views.**

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><p>The helm of the ship was my favorite part. You could see everything going on on the main deck and you got a great view of the ocean. I looked upto my left where Jack was standing with his hands resting not the helm. He looked proud. "Captain, ship on the horizon, port side." Shouted Joey from the crows nest. Jack instantly gave the helm to Harry, who looked rather shocked, and looked through his telescope towards the ship in the distance.<p>

"Oh, bugger!" he exclaimed before putting away his telescope and running the hide under the staircase next to his cabin. I followed quickly.

"Did I miss something?" I asked sitting next to him.

"What...no...hide me." He managed to get out.

"Ok, but why?" I knew Jack could be funny like this sometimes but it made no sense.

"Just do it." he pushed me out from under the stairs. I stumbled slightly before gaining my footing once again and walking towards Gibbs who was also staring out towards the ship.

"Do you know who Jack is hiding from?" I asked Gibbs.

"Aye," he responded "that be Angelica." he sighed.

"Is that the woman who tricked Jack into joining Blackbeard's crew?" I asked, "Blackbeard's daughter?" I waited for a response but Gibbs didn't answer because the ship that was in the distance was now sailing alongside the Pearl. At the helm was a woman, probably around 26 in age, she had long brown, wavy hair and a sharp expression on her face. She stepped down from the wheel and a young man took over. Then she walked towards the ropes hanging down the side of her ship. She made eye contact with me and the anger I saw in her eyes was slightly overpowering. Without taking her eyes of me she grabbed one of the ropes and swung the distance between the two ships, landing silently and gracefully on the deck.

"Where is Jack?" She shouted, her voice was strong and powerful and held a very strong Spanish accent.

"Jack is not onboard" I said. Just as jack had wanted.

"Liar" she shouted and began look around. Her eyes settled on a point just behind me. "Jack Sparrow I see you back there." She said her voice not quite as loud as before. Jack came out from his hiding place.

"Ahh, Angelica, it's been so long." He said calmly. This was a similar greeting to the one he gave Barbossa, I assumed it was for people he didn't like very much. He took a few steps forward and stumbled.

"You, you marrooned me on that god forsaken island with nothing" I looked from Jack to Angelica and could swear I saw fire flickering in her eyes. Honestly I felt no sympathy for we what so ever. Jack had told me all I needed to know about her. Plus, in my eyes, she was Blackbeard's daughter. She had his blood running through her veins and that in its self gave me a good reason not to like her. Jack said nothing as Angelica stepped closer. "You stopped me from saving my father."

Jack chose now to say something. "You had more of a life left to live than he did and you told me yourself that you wanted years." Jack took a step away from her an towards me.

"But from my own father?" She screamed and drew her sword. She pointed it at Jack's throat. "I can here for revenge Jack an I am not leaving here without it." She walked towards Jack but didn't lower her sword.

"That was what I feared." Jack remarked and then he two pulled out his sword and pointed it towards Angelica. A fight began. It was interesting to watch the two of them fight but scary as well. Whenever jack managed to catch Angelica, whether on the arm or leg or hip, the wound just healed over. She was invincible. It must have been the water from the fountain. Jack was a good defender but even he got the odd graze of two. They were both extreemly fast and eventually Angelica managed to disarm him. There he stood, leaning up against the side of the ship. Angelica pointing her sword at his throat once again and his sword sitting yards away.

"And so here we are. The infamous captain Jack Sparrow, about to pay for what he did to my father." Jack let out a small unexpected whimper and it didn't take long for me to decide what to do. I was not going to stand and watch as another person I loved was killed by someone with Blackbeard's blood running through their veins. I pulled my sword from its sheath and ran at Angelica just as I saw her pull back her sword for the kill. My only hope was to disarm her. I deflected her sword away from Jack who breathed a sigh of relief and assisted me in beating our opponent. It turned out that my ten years of sword training was absolutly necessary for me to stand a chance of disarming Angelica. As she swung, I blocked. I was unable to hit her and it would have been pointless anyway considering her invinsibility. After fighting for a while she managed to slash my leg. The pain filled my thoughts but I fought on. I got another blow from Angleica's sword, this time on the forehead. Blood trickled down and clouded my vision, I was beginning to feel faint. Jack and me had her up against the side of the boat now, she was trapped but she wasn't giving up. Me and Jack shared a quick look that told me we were both thinking the same thing . In unison we crouched down and grabbed a leg each and before she had time to react we had lifted her up overboard. With a loud splash she hit the water. I was now feeling very faint from the amount of blood that I amhad lost and the head wound wasn't helping in emerge slightest. I could hear Angelica shouting from the water. "Jack Sparrow es el ultimo que he oldo hablar de mi voy a avenger mi padre. Usted no puede escondersede la verdad para siempre." I fell to the floor, dropping my sword as I did so and the last thing I remember before my world faded to black was strong arms supporting me around the waist.

XXX

I woke with a sharp pain in my forehead. But instead of opening my eyes I tried to remember what had happened. Nothing. I could remember nothing. I shifted my focus to what u was lying on. It was soft and comfy and I had what felt like a blanket over me. I chose this time to open my eyes. I looked around and saw that I was in Jack's cabin, in Jack's bed. How had I got here? A thought came to me. Was the headache the cause of drinking to much rum. That would explain the headache. Another thought came to mind. Had I slept with Jack? I'm sure I would remember that. I checked under the covers to see if I was clothed which I wasn't. I then noticed that a huge slash wound in my leg had been stitched with a fishing wore and all memories came back to me. I hadn't slept with Jack. My leg started to throb and the pain in my head increased. Just then the cabin door opened and Jack walked in. "Oh you are awake." He said quietly and walked over to me.

"Yes I am awake." I sighed and smiled at Jack's presence. "Has Angelica gone?"

"Yes she is gone. I don't think we will be seeing her for a while." Jack sat on the bed next to me and rested his hand in mine. "Harry will be glad to know you are awake." I smiled.

"How long was I unconscious?" I asked. There were a few questions circling my mind.

"Two days. You had me really worried love. That's a long time." he squeezed my hand.

"I'm sorry." I pulled him closer to me. I wanted him to hold me. "But I saved your life." Jack laughed a little and wrapped his arms around me.

"I guess you are the hero now." I smiled into his chest.

"I guess I am." I whispered back. Jack kissed my forehead lightly where Angelica's sword had hit me. "I just have one more question." Jack pulled back to look at me. "How did I get here?" I fingered the sheets resting over my legs and fought not to wince at the pain from the slash wound.

"I carried you after you collapsed. Thought you might be safer in a bed, it's more stable than a hammock." He reached forward and brushed a strand of hair from my face.

"So where did you sleep?"

"I thought you only had one more question." I raised my eyebrows at him. "I've been sleeping in your hammock. I figured that you would want to choose when to join me at night and I had to sleep somewhere." I was surprised that the thought had even crossed his mind but I appreciated it. I went to stand up but Jack lowered me back onto the bed.

"I have to get on with my duties." I protested. Jack shook his head.

"No, you need to rest. Harry is filling in for you until you get better. You trained him well." I smiled at the complement. "Besides, it's late and the only people working are those on the night shift. I should go and get some sleep though." Jack lifted from the bed and began to walk towards my cabin space.

"Don't go." I muttered.

"I have to."

"I mean, sleep here with me." I moved up so there was space for Jack and I gored the pain in my leg and it rubbed agianst the sheets. "I don't want to be alone tonight." He smiled and walked back towards the bed taking his shirt of as he did so. This revealed a variety of scars on his arms and torso. My eyes widened as I imagined how much pain he must have gone through with each of them. Jack looked down at them.

"It's in the past. Don't let it worry you." I chose to listen to him. He climbed into the bed next to me and wrapped an arm around me. Before I knew it, I was drifting off to sleep.


	12. To Freedom

**Well, here it is! The final chapter. I know it is short but I believe it is a good way for the story to end. As always, do enjoy! :) x**

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><p>My wounds healed quickly although the one on my leg did leave a rather vicious scar. I was no longer having nightmares about Blackbeard so I was sleeping every well at night and Jack surprised me when telling me that he was happy to take things slowly. I guess that is proof that he truly loves me. I shifted my position on the bed do I was leaning against Jack more comfortably. "Jack." I said, disturbing a long but relaxing silence.<p>

"Hmmm." He looked down at me slightly.

"You were a part of Blackbeards crew for a while weren't you?"

Jack sighed. "Yes but not volantarily."

"I know, Angleica forced you." He nodded. "I'm sorry but I have to ask, when you were part of his crew... Did you attack any ships?"

"No," he declared. "Although I did atempt to lead a mutiny on him. It didn't go to well." I laughed. "Anything else you want to ask?" I considered this for a second. Nothing came instantly to mind but I was curious about one thing so I nodded.

"You said that you found many bottles with ships trapped inside them." I began. "Was the White Maiden among them?" Jack seemed somewhat surprised at the question and tilted his head in thought.

"Hinestly love, I can't remember." a small wave of disappointment. "Why do you ask? Was that ship important to you in some way?"

"It was my father's ship." I said quietly. "The one I grew up on. I was simply curious to know if it survived the battle." I could feel that my voice had turned weak.

"Actually, now I come to think of it, I believe it was one of the ships I sold." I looked at Jack. It was impossible to tell if he actually did remember or if he was only saying this to cheer my up. "It had white sails didn't it, and a wonderful maiden with her arms spread out at the bowsprit." I smiled and nodded.

"Yes, that's her." I said with tears of happiness slipping down my cheek. "It's good to know in not the only survivor of the battle." I fought to hold back the tears but they just kept coming.

"I must say, she truly is a beautiful ship." Jack remarked.

"I know."

"Not as beautiful as the Pearl though." he added. I rolled my eyes an hit him lightly on the chest.

"Well the Pearl is a great ship." I smiled. Jack nodded and the same proud expression crossed his face as the one he wore at the helm of his ship.

"Of course she is." He stated as if it were fact not opinion. He then leant down and pushed his lips to mine. The kiss began gently but soon deepened. His hands were warm as they slid under my top and rested on my waist. I shivered under his touch. He pulled me closer and our lips parted so that his tounge could tangle with mine. We continued like this for a while. Before pulling apart. I was left gasping for air as I opened my eyes to see his staring back.

"And now I feel free." I whispered. "Blackbeard is out of my life and thoughts, the need for revenge I have felt for so long is gone. I have friends, a comfortable life and most importantly, I have someone to love. This is the happiest I have felt in ten years." I smiled and hugged into Jack's chest.

"Freedom is the best way to live, I'm glad I could give it to you." He whispered back.

"And for that I thank you Jack. I wonder what new adventures freedom can bring us." Jack laughed. "Love." I looked up at him. "Adventure is always on the horizon."

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><p><strong>And now you have read it all!<strong>

**Any comments on this chapter or the story are welcomed (or recommended) ;)**

**Thank you very much for reading! :) x**


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